Gansu, China

The 16th of 21 street lamps to be installed as part of Mischa Kuball’s Solidarity Grid.It was installed in September 2015

The elaborate lamp has been donated by Gansu Province as a gesture of solidarity during Christchurch’s recovery and rebuild process and to recognise the 30-year Christchurch-Gansu Sister City relationship.

The Sister City relationship between Christchurch and Gansu can be credited to Cantabrian Rewi Alley who dedicated 60 years of his life to helping the Chinese people improve their standard of living after World War One. He became one of the most revered foreigners in China, and in 1984 established a formal relationship between his birth and adopted cities.

Gansu Foreign Affairs Office spokesperson Stephen Zhu said “The Gansu street light is of traditional Chinese style, [it is] energy-efficient, and should be unique in the South Island. It signifies Gansu’s support to the post-earthquake reconstruction of the Christchurch city centre and our will to join global cultural exchange programmes. The light is also a gift to commemorate 30 years of Sister City relations between Gansu and Christchurch.”

Gansu province is located in the northwest of China. It has a rich cultural history, having been a post on the Silk Road, with the Gobi Desert to its north and the Great Wall snaking along the border. The Yellow River flows through the south of Gansu province and street lamps of the same elaborate design are prominent fixtures along its banks in the capital and largest city, Lanzhou.